Conveyor apparatus are widely used currently in automated machinery for transporting products or work pieces from one location to another automatically and repetitively with minimal operator control or observation. It is thus important that the conveyor construction be durable and reliable, and if damaged, easily and quickly repairable with readily available parts. Such conveyors in the past have employed specially fabricated chains to which individual platforms, or flights, are attached, and which chains are considerably more expensive than the standard roller chain which may be used with the present invention. In one prior art conveyor, small metal mounting tabs have been extending sideways beyond the chain side plates with the flights being fastened to the tabs. In another conveyor construction, the chain has been specially fabricated with laterally projecting pins extending sideways beyond its chain side plates to receive plastic molded flights having parallel depending legs with opposed inwardly opening apertures to mount the flight to its pins in a mechanical detented assembly. These conveyors have required specially manufactured chains which might not be readily available where a conveyor chain breaks in operation, and have not provided a method and construction for flight attachment to the chain which is both easily assembled to or from a standard roller chain and securely held in place during use of the combined chain and flights used as a conveyor.
Accordingly, the principal objects of the present invention are to provide a conveyor flight which can be used in conjunction with commercially available roller chain, and which is easily attachable and removable from the chain without the use of special tooling, while at the same time remaining securely fastened to the chain while in operation. In addition, the mounting pins which accept said flights can be one of several commercially available pins.